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Audi is set to build on its existing performance-car lineup with the introduction of four all-wheel-drive S models, all running the company's latest twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 direct-injection engine developed in partnership with Bentley.

Scheduled to get their first public airing at the Frankfurt motor show in mid-September, the quartet of new S models include successors to the Audi S8, S7 and S6 sedans and the S6 Avant. Everything but the S6 Avant is coming to the United States, with launches set for late spring 2012.

Leading the charge is the plush S8. It swaps the naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 of its predecessor for the most powerful version of Audi's twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine. Peak power is up to 520 hp, with torque increased to a sturdy 479 lb-ft.

The increased reserves are channeled to all four wheels through a specially adapted eight-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox that supports automatic stop/start and brake-energy recuperation. The sedan has a claimed 0-to-62-mph time of just 4.2 seconds and a top speed, like that of all of Audi's new S models, limited to 155 mph.

In spite of the wholesale increase in performance, Audi claims the S8 is more fuel efficient, in part because of a new cylinder-on-demand function that deactivates four of the engine's eight cylinders on partial throttle loads.

An active-noise-cancellation system used to suppress engine and wind noise for improved NVH qualities in four-cylinder mode is among the other technological highlights that will appear on the new Audi S8. The cancellation setup consists of four microphones integrated into the headliner that constantly record the noise within the cabin. It is then analyzed for what Audi describes as “intrusive elements,” and when required, an antiphase sound is played through the speakers to cancel it out.

Also making an appearance in Frankfurt as part of an expansive Audi spread will be the new S6 sedan and the Audi S7, each running a less powerful version of the V8 unit making 420 hp and 406 lb-ft.

These S models also adopt Audi's seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic gearbox in place of the older six-speed automatic used by their predecessors. Other new developments include a reworked all-wheel-drive system.

As with the S8, the S6 sedan and the S7 also receive Audi's new cylinder-on-demand system and active noise cancellation as standard.